Chain riveting machine



May 11, 1965 Filed Sept. 25,

C. E. SIMMONS ETAL CHAIN RIVETING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS CECIL E. SlMMONS JACK RUDNISKI ATTORNEY May 11, 1965 c. E. SIMMONS EI'AI.

CHAIN RIVETING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 25, 1961 INVENTORS E. SIMMONS JACK RUDNISKI CECI L BY/ K ATTORNEY May 11, 1965 c. E. SIMMONS ETA].

CHAIN RIVETING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet s Fild Sept. 25. 1961 INVENTORS CECIL E. SIMMONS BY JACK RUDNISKI ATTORNEY y 1965 I c. E. SIMMONS ETA]. 3,182,441

CHAIN RIVETINGTMAGHINE Filed Sept- 25, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 3 PH. 60 CYCLE 550 VOLTS INVENTORS C ECIL E. SIMMONS BY JACK RUDNISKI ATTORNEY United States Patent This invention relates to riveting machines and more particularly to a pneumatic chain riveting machine.

The type of chain for which our apparatus is particularly suited is a pintle chain normally used for driving agricultural implements. This chain is composed of in dividual links joined by a pin called a pintle. The pintles are case hardened and have a preformed head on one end.

It is an object of our invention to provide an improved apparatus which simply and effectively forms a head on the unheaded end of the pintles after they have been inserted through the links.

Another object is to provide an improved apparatus for continuously heading pintles which are continuously fed in a chain.

Other objects will become apparent from the following description of our preferred embodiment taken with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of our novel machine.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the said apparatus.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view taken from the rear of our machine.

FIGURE 4 is a detailed section of the air hammer adapter cylinder and piston.

FIGURE 5 is a section of the forming end of our novel peen-riveter tool taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 6.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective of our novel peen-riveter tool.

FIGURE 7 is a schematic view of the drive mechanism of our apparatus.

FIGURE 8 is a schematic view of the basic electrical -circuit of our apparatus.

FIGURE 9 is a schematic view of the basic air circuit of our apparatus.

Considering the drawing and following description in greater particularity it is seen that 10 designates in general our novel riveting machine. This machine may be ,said to consist of three major components: the drive for the chain, the air system, and the riveting hammer. The electromechanical drive for moving the chain is schematically shown in FIGURES 7 and 8 and preferably consists of a /2 horsepower 3 phase motor which is supplied with 550 volts, 60 cycle current coming through a fused disconnect 21 and a reversing magnetic motor starting switch 22. From the fused disconnect there is also a junction with a transformer 23 which converts the 550 v lts to 110 volts. The switch 22 and the transformer 23 are both connected to a start-stop switch box 24 which contains start button 24a, stop button 24b and is in turn connected to an emergency reverse switch 25. This latter switch is connected to a solenoid valve 26 in the air supply line which will prevent any air hammer operation when the emergency reverse switch is actuated by cutting off the air supply. The air riveting hammer is shown as 50.

The air supply enters the system through a /z" pipe 30 and is passed through filter 31. Suflicient oil is added to the air by line oiler 32 to provide lubrication for the air hammer before the air passes through an air regulator 33. From the regulator the air is conducted through a /2" main 34 to a main pilot operated valve 35. Before the valve 35, a branch 36 of A" conduit carries air to a riveting stop control valve 37. As long as chain (diagrammatically shown in FIG. 3 as A) is being fed through the apparatus, a hold-down roller or shoe 3% riding on the chain is retained in position with arm 39 preventing air from exhausting from valve 37. Since no exhaust occurs at 37 the air is conducted by a A? conduit 40 to cycle control valve 41. This valve is periodically operated by a driven cam 42 to open and close in a desired timed sequence. From the valve 41 the air is conducted back to the main valve 35. Interposed between valves 41 and 35 is a manual skip valve 43 which, when depressed, releases air going to the main valve 35 and prevents the air hammer 50 from operating. The air hammer will not operate as long as valve 43 is maintained in a depressed or open position. In fact, each of valves 37, 41, 43 operates by releasing air from the system and thereby prevents operation of the air hammer 50.

With all of the above valves closed, air will pass through the main valve 35 and through conduit 44 into the air riveting hammer 50. The preferred hammer which we use in this apparatus is a Model 400, Cleco Handi-drill modified as we will hereafter describe.

The drill we refer to is one normally used for drilling holes in concrete or stone, etc. It contains an air driven piston to reciprocate the bit, and a pawl and ratchet to slightly rotate the bit during each reciprocation. Normally the drill has a handle with a trigger release to an inlet air valve. The air entering through this valve operates the hammer. The novel means by which we control the hammer operation is shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawing. This is substituted for the handle and trigger and valve arrangement and contains an air adapter cylinder which has at least one but preferably two air inlets 76. Air passing through this inlet will impinge on gasket 5H] which slidingly seals the opening between the cylinder 75 and a piston 77. The air will also pass through opening 91 in the piston to an air cylinder 78 wherein a piston for operating peen 100 of the hammer is located. The impingement surface of gasket and the opening 91 are so proportioned that sufiicient force will be available to overcome friction and the retarding and returning force of spring 79 and then under normal operating conditions move the hammer forward with approximately ninety pounds of thrust.

The peen 100, shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, has a face portion 101 of conical configuration. The preferred slope of the conical face has been found to be substantially 30 between the face and a plane at right angles to the axis 102 of the peen. This angle is depicted in FIG. 5 as or. Drilled into the face of the peen and parallel to axis 102 are a plurality of holes 103 (preferably four) equally spaced about a slightly smaller diameter central hole 104.

It has been found that with our novel peen no intermediate grinding to shape is required. The peen will wear back in such a manner that it will continue to produce properly shaped heads on the pintles until the entire usable portion of the peen is consumed.

The cam 42 which opens and closes valve 41 in a regular sequence to operatethe air hammer is mounted on I a shaft 61 which is connected in line to a speed reducer diagrammatically indicated in FIGURE 7 as 62. The preferred reducer for this construction is one sold under the name of Boston Optimount. The reducer is driven by a V pulley 63 driven through a belt 64 by a motor V pulley 65. This latter pulley is fastened to the shaft of motor 20 and driven thereby.

Between the cam 42 and reducer 62 is 21 Geneva wheel drive with a constant speed input 66 fastened to the shaft 61. This input drives a six step Geneva wheel 67 which is fastened to a shaft 68 adjacent and parallel to shaft 61. Fastened to shaft 68 is pinion 69 which drives a gear 70.

The ratio of gears and drives to one another is such that the gear 70 moves revolution for each revolution of output shaft 61; Because of the bolting- .plate arrangement perfect alignmentcan be obtained between the spr cket and the peen of the riveting hammer since the relative orientation of plate and sprocket is ad- 'justable by loosening the bolts 74 and then-retightening them when the sprocket is in proper position.

The general'arrangementof the components .ofour ap paratus is best shown in FIGURE '2 and is the depiction in conjunction with which its operation will be described.

The operator normally stands adjacent the feed-in table -80of the machine, convenient to buttons 24-, ZS-and 43.

To start the riveting'operation the operator feeds a ,preassembled length of chain through feed-in guides 81 and hold-downshoe 82 until the first link of the chain A passes over a tooth of sprocket 73. The operator then -manually opens the main pilotoperated valve 35, closes the electric disconnect 21 and starts the machine .by momentarily depressing the start button 24a. At this moment air is available at the hammer 50 and the motor begins to drive shaft 61 and both the sprocket 73 and cam 42. The constant speed input 66. is also rotated by shaft 61. During .aportion of each revolution (in this case 60") this input will drive the Geneva wheel through /6 of a revolution. Because of the pinion 69 and gear 70 relationship,-the'sprocket .73is rotated of a revolution or the distance between adjacent teeth. This is suificient to move the chain A a distance of one link.

.peen. The cam, as it continues to rotate, eventually imposes the remaining-cut away /6 portion of the cam over the .valve 41 which permits it to open and exhaust to air. This results in valve'35 closing and preventing air flow to the hammer 50. Without air in adaptercylinder '75,

Gear 70 is fastened to a shaft 71 to which is p 7 keyed a bolting plate 72. A sprocket 73 is bolted to the. -plate72 by means of bolts 74 which are passed through slots in the plate 72, and drives the chain A in a propersequence.

springs 79 will retract the hammer while the sprocket 73 j is advancing the chain one more link.

At times the peening action which is determined by the thrust of the hammer, its speed and its intensity, must be varied with a changein materials. This is accomplished by varying the air pressure in the system with air regula- -tor 33.

The machine will continue, to operate automatically,

that is: advance the chain one link, advance the hammer only while the chain is stopped and peen a pintle then retract the hammer and advance the chain one more link,

gether with marked or colored dummy rivets or pintles. As. the machine operates, the chain will carry these dummies until they are in a position opposite the peen, ready for riveting. The operator,

watching the progress of the chain, will, at this moment, press the manual skip valve 43 which will prevent the air hammer from operating as long as the valve is depressed. As soon as the sprocket 73 carries this dummy past the riveting area, the operator will release the valve 43 and the machine will then continue its normal operation. Later, the dummy rivets are withdrawn and the short completed chains sorted for shipment.

We claim:

1. In a chain riveting machine, a motor, means connected to said motor for advancing a chain of joined links and unheaded pintles, means for interrupting the advance of said chain. at periodic intervals, a fluid operated riveting hammer, a piping circuit for carrying fluid under pressure to said hammer, means in said circuit for permitting the transmission of fluid to said'hammer only when the advance of said chain is interrupted and a pintle is in proper position to have a head formed by said hammer, means in said hammer for advancing said hammer into and for permitting the flow of fluid therethrough to operate said hammer, means for retracting said hammer as said chain is advanced, said hammer containing an elongated peen having a conically shaped indented end face with a plurality of holes bored therein parallel to the axis of said peen, said face and said holes presenting fresh shaping edges for forming heads on said pintles as said peen wears whereby no intermediate grinding to shape of said face is required until the usable portion of said peen is consumed. V

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein saidplurality of holes are four equally spaced equidiameter holes about a central smaller diameterhole,

3. The apparatus of claim'2 .wherein said :conically shaped indented end face contains side walls having substantially a 30 slope to a plane at right angles to the axis of said peen.

4. T he apparatus of claim '1 wherein the means in said hammer includes a cylinder having a fluid inlet, said cylinder being fastened to asupport for said hammer, a piston within said cylinder fastened to said hammer for advancing said hammer as fluid enters said cylinder, said piston having a hole therethrough proportioned in size to the .total piston area of a dimension to permit sufiicient piston area to remain to retain the hammer in its advanced posi- 'tion as fluid flows through said hole to operate the hammer mechanism.

. 5. The apparatusof claim 4 wherein the piston has a gasket at one end to provide sealing engagement with the walls of said cylinder.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said plurality of holes are four equally space equidiameter holes about'a central smaller diameter hole. p

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said conically shaped indented end face contains side walls joining at an apex having an included angle of substantially References (Iitedby the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 507,263 10/93 Egge 29--34.2 1,945,911 2/34 Lindberg 59-7 2,251,434 8/41 Weiss 29-339 2,352,429 6/44 Gomperz 78-462 2,700,870 2/55 Green 59- 7 3,003,306 10/61 Quisenberry 59-7 3,028,723 4/62 Kaplan 59-7 WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner.

0 WILLIAM' W. DYER, In, Examiner.

operating position in response 'to said transmitted 'fluid- 

1. IN A CHAIN RIVETING MACHINE, A MOTOR, MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID ROTOR FOR ADVANCING A CHAIN OF JOINED LINKS AND UNHEADED PINTLES, MEANS FOR INTERRUPTING THE ADVANCE OF SAID CHAIN AT PERIODIC INTERVALS, A FLUID OPERATED RIVETING HAMMER, A PIPING CIRCUIT FOR CARRYING FLUID UNDER PRESSURE TO SAID HAMMER, MEANS IN SAID CIRCUIT FOR PERMITTING THE TRANSMISSION OF FLUID TO SAID HAMMER ONLY WHEN THE ADVANCE OF SAID CHAIN IS INTERRUPTED AND A PINTLE IS IN PROPER POSITION TO HAVE A HEAD FORMED BY SAID HAMMER, MEANS IN SAID HAMMER FOR ADVANCING SAID HAMMER INTO OPERATING POSITION IN RESPONSE TO SAID TRANSMITTED FLUID AND FOR PERMITTING THE FLOW OF FLUID THERETHROUGH TO OPERATE SAID HAMMER, MEANS FOR RETRACTING SAID HAMMER AS SAID CHAIN IS ADVANCED, SAID HAMMER CONTAINING AN ELONGATED PEEN HAVING A CONICALLY SHAPED INDENTED END FACE WITH A PLURALITY OF HOLES BORED THEREIN PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID PEEN, SAID FACE AND SAID HOLES PRESENTING FRESH SHAPING EDGES FOR FORMING HEADS ON SAID PINTLES AS SAID PEEN WEARS WHEREBY NO INTERMEDIATE GRINDING TO SHAPE OF SAID FACE IS REQUIRED UNTIL THE USABLE PORTION OF SAID PEEN IS CONSUMED. 